Introduction:
I’m in my sixth year as a UC patient, 20 years old. I’ve kind of lost track of when it started. It has become such an integrated part of my life – when I have to use the toilet, it’s more of a reflex than a deliberate action. Today I stumbled upon this website, and it gave me refreshed hope of a better life – Hope of freedom, and of a family life without worries!
My Colitis Story:
This August, I started my first year as a medical student at the University of Oslo. That is surely gonna bring some challenges, and I catch myself thinking about it more often than I want to. One thing I have experienced during my first month in a new city, more than ever before, is the psychological aspect of this disease. I wanna tell you, in short, about my life with the disease.
I was diagnosed back in 2005, after a couple of weeks of bloody diarrhea and phlegm in my stool. My hematocrit level was way below normal – the nurses were shocked I was not lying flat on the floor, passed out. Yet, after four bags of blood, a colonoscopy, a gastroscopy and lots of bloodwork, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Lots of medication was tested (5-ASA stuff, Colazid, Imurel.. I don’t even know if these are the English names for them. I’m Norwegian, you see). Yet two times a year, I got flare-ups. Finally, last Easter I was put on Remicade – It helped! No flare-ups in over a year.
Still, with no flare-ups, I continue to use the toilet, 6-8 times a day, although the stool is hard, with no blood. I have wondered, and wondered some more –
How many daily trips to the toilet is normal when the disease is in remission?
I still think it’s a bit much with 6-8 trips a day.
Now, here’s the weird part. The longer I’ve had the disease, the worse I’ve gotten about living with it! It really should be the other way around. Three years ago, I vacationed in London, and I hardly thought about my disease. Now, I let it control my life more than ever before. I have thought a lot about how this might be – so un-logical.
Anyways, like I said in the beginning, I found this site, and I quickly saw that this SCD diet thingy seems to help many of you guys, and it made me SO happy to read that so many of you live better lives now! Being in the same situation, the one thing we CAN do is relate to the situation – and this is not something I wish upon anyone.
Still, I would be extremely grateful for any tips on Where To Begin? Which books should I order about SCD? Apparently, there are many of them.
Oh, and one last question: Have any of you experienced the combination Remicade + SCD Diet? What should I expect? Improvements? Or will it stay the same because of the drugs?
I hope I get some answers, and I really hope I can post a “Happy Story” in here in some months’ time. Great page!
My Ulcerative Colitis Medications:
Remicade is what I’m on now, which has worked the best of all the meds I’ve tried.
Submitted by “Sir Crapsalot” in the Colitis Venting Area
I’m in my sixth year as a UC patient, 20 years old. I’ve kind of lost track of when it started. It has become such an integrated part of my life – when I have to use the toilet, it’s more of a reflex than a deliberate action. Today I stumbled upon this website, and it gave me refreshed hope of a better life – Hope of freedom, and of a family life without worries!
